Archived News
AgProfit™ for Technology Assessment: Wenatchee, WA
March 9th, 2011(9:00 AM-1:00 PM)
This workshop will be held at WSU-TFREC, located at 1100 N. Western Ave, in Wenatchee. Participation will be FREE and limited to the first 25 who register. We can provide computers for the first 12 participants that request them, other participants must bring their own. This workshop is funded by NIFA-Specialty Crops Research Initiative through the Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops (CASC) project. Refreshments and snacks will be provided. Early registration is encouraged. (more...)
Plant pathologist recognised
Congratulations to Gary Grove, who will receive the American Phytopathological Society Excellence in Extension Award during the annual meeting of the APS in August. Grove, who has statewide extension responsibilities for grapes, hops and stone fruits, is an internationally recognized leader in the development of cutting-edge information delivery. He was integral in putting WSU-TFREC as one of the first fruit sites on the web in 1994. (more...)
Pear Postharvest Meeting
Over 90 persons participated in the WSU Fruit School and Pear Bureau Educational Seminar held on February 17, 2010 in Yakima, Washington. Sessions included “Disease and Disorder Controls” and “Conditioning Pears to Increase Consumption and Profitability.” Related links are available from the Postharvest Information Web site (more...)
New employees
WSU-TFREC wishes you to welcome three new employees: Ute Chambers, Manager and Educator for DAS; Yanni Yin, Visiting Scientist with the Postharvest Pathology program; and Lisa Brutcher, Scientific Asst. in the Apple Breeding program.
Awesome Apple Adventures 2009 was a great success!
This year on Sep. 23 & 24 we hosted 32 second grade classes from the Wenatchee and Eastmont School districts, as well as St. Joe's and St. Paul's (approximately 800 kids, and 125+ adults). This learning opportunity in an outdoor classroom included stations manned by WSU, USDA, and the Wenatchee School District.
Sunrise Field Day previews future
Attendees at the First Annual Field Day for the new WSU Sunrise Research Orchard on July 22 received a preview of the future for the tree fruit industry.
What they saw are new apple varieties, improved methods for pest control, and robtic orchard equipment. This was also an opportunity for WSU to show returns on the investment for the new research orchard located halfway between Wenatchee and Quincy.
More at WSU Today...
Sunrise Orchard Field Day, July 29
Mark the 2nd Annual Sunrise Research Orchard Field Day (located between East Wenatchee and Quincy) on July 29, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This is an opportunity to interact with WSU tree fruit researchers, Extension faculty, and specialists from other institutions. Planned topics range from mechanized blossom thinning and weed seeker technologies to a natural fumigant replant disease trial (leaflet with directions; pdf or web page)
Collared-dove invasion not a threat to fruit
Only recently has the Eurasian Collared-dove become a common sight in north-central Washington. However, preliminary assessments of the bird's impact on agriculture in the United States indicate that these birds may not prove a threat (more)
Spotted Wing Drosophila – A New Fruit Pest
Update: new article in Orchard Pest Management
Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, is a new pest of fruit in the US. It was first found in California in 2008, and has since been found in Washington and Oregon. Known host include caneberries, blueberries, and other small fruits; among tree fruits, stone fruits (cherries, nectarines, plums) are also attacked.. More work needs to be done to determine the host status of grapes, apples and pears. This pest is different from the common “vinegar fly” or “fruit fly”, Drosophila melanogaster, in that it can attack healthy, undamaged, ripening fruit. For more information, visit http://swd.hort.oregonstate.edu. (WSU press release)
Spotted Wing Drosophila – A New Fruit Pest
Update: new article in Orchard Pest Management
Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, is a new pest of fruit in the US. It was first found in California in 2008, and has since been found in Washington and Oregon. Known host include caneberries, blueberries, and other small fruits; among tree fruits, stone fruits (cherries, nectarines, plums) are also attacked.. More work needs to be done to determine the host status of grapes, apples and pears. This pest is different from the common “vinegar fly” or “fruit fly”, Drosophila melanogaster, in that it can attack healthy, undamaged, ripening fruit. For more information, visit http://swd.hort.oregonstate.edu. (WSU press release)
El Nino conditions dimishing
NOAA-National Weather Service is reporting that the end of El Niño and predicting the development of a La Nina conditions this summer. Growers and other affected agricultural interests should be prepared for more typical growing conditions this summer followed by cooler than normal weather thsi fall. Links to various NWS forecasts are available on the TFREC Climate Prediction page.
Irrigators will also be interested in the new gridded evapotranspiration forecast from the Spokane National Weather Service office.
Apple sunburn model available for testing
Dr. Larry Schrader, TFREC Horticulturist, released for the web an empirical model predicting apple sunburn. The model allows users to test online different combinations of factors leading to sunburn of apples. Predictions from this model using NOAA forecats are generated for DAS users. However, at this time growers should not use it for actual orchard management. (more...)
Awesome Apple (and insect and worm) Adventures!
See the video; thanks Wenatchee World! Second-graders from Wenatchee area schools visited the Research & Extension Center on September 22 and 23.
Join us in congratulating
Dr. Eugene Kupferman received the Silver Pear Award from the Washington State Horticultural Association at their annual meeting this week. This is a well deserved award recognizing the contributions of Dr. Kupferman over a long and distinguished career.
David Granatstein received the first ever Organic Industry Service Award from the Washington State Horticultural Association at their annual meeting this week. A well deserved recognition for his contributions to this industry over many years.
Mark August 16 for Sunrise Field Day
WSU-TFREC will be holding the 3rd Annual Sunrise Research Orchard Field Day on August 16, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (BBQ to follow). This is an opportunity to interact with WSU researchers and Extension faculty plus researchers from other institutions on a variety of topics such as mechanized blossom thinning, new biological control technology and automated insect traps. Please download the announcement (pdf) for more information.
September 23rd - Orchard Automation Field Day
WSU's Sunrise Research Orchard will be the site on September 23 of a field day for comprehensive automation for specialty crops (CASC), an USDA funded research initiative. (more...pdf)